Shirer Says New Japan, Germany Won't Aid Us

William L. Shirer, noted commentator and author, attacked the conception that independent, rearmed Germany and Japan will buttress the position of the West in the current struggle with the Soviets. Various other aspects of American foreign policy bore the critical analysis of Dr. James Phinney Baxter, III, President of Williams College; Frederick L. Schuman, professor of Government at Williams; and John Crider, commentator and columnist, at the opening forum of the All-College Conference last night.

"The idea that the Germans are going to defend the democratic West, to sacrifice themselves for us, would be a deadly delusion," Shirer stated. He noted the alarming rise of neo-Nazi sentiment in Germany and declared that recent Russian proposals are more than a propaganda move. They represent a shift in Soviet policy, trying to prevent Germany from joining the West militarily.

Shirer said that Romulo of the Philippines was probably correct in saying that Japan hasn't changed overnight from a militaristic aggressor to a peaceful democracy.

Baxter agreed that Germany might be a danger spot and generally raked the Administration over the political coals for their foreign policy over recent years. "The Elephant never forgets though the Donkey may suffer from amnesia," he said.

Schuman stated that every arms race inevitably leads to war and that, indeed, it may further the cause of Communist expansion by providing good propaganda ammunition for the Reds.

We are bound to a policy of "slamming every door" on possibly since Soviet attempts at mediation of differences, Crider suggested.